... be held down to power up a single slash or projectile.

Unlike Leon, he cannot use sub-weapons, and also cannot use potions or items selling from Rinaldo's shop. However Joachim has access to two magic attacks in the place of sub-weapons which depends on sword configuration.

Another additional playable character is Pumpkin, who uses the whip in the same way as Leon. In addition to serving as a humorous counterpart for Leon, he comes with all whip and defensive skills prelearned, does more damage than Leon, and has his own unique pumpkin subweapon that can be powered with orbs gained from bosses as in Leon's game. When Pumpkin stands still for a long time, he will hum the tune of Joachim's theme song...more

Recurring major characters

...as conceived - a black suit with a long cape.

The Belmont Family
The Belmont bloodline is sworn to oppose Dracula in all his various forms. In most castlevania games, the main character is a Belmont. If not, the belmonts are usually present...more

Castlevania Recurring castle areas

...More often than not, castlevania games take place in Dracula's castle (which in the game is named Castlevania). While the castle areas change from time to time, some places seem to stay the same.

Castle Entrance
This section of the castle, as the name suggests, is normally featured early in a castlevania game. Originally serving as the first level of castlevania and Vampire Killer, this portion of Dracula's castle is notable for the following characteristics:
* It normally begins outside in a brief forest section, where the character must enter the actual castle via drawbridge or just a regular entrance.
* Inside, the player must reach the main hallway. Often this location has gray walls that are partially crumbled, exposing brick work along with pillars, curtains and tall window sets. The common enemies here are zombies, bats, and sometimes panthers.
* Midway through the level, there is usually a flooded basement section featuring mermen.
* After exiting the basement section, there is usually one final hallway simi...more

Castlevania - Regional variations and localization

...evania" name for a brief period. According to series producer Koji Igarashi the developers chose to adopt the castlevania moniker as a way to involve scenarios that do not solely revolve around Dracula himself. Later bowing to overwhelming fan demand, Konami returned to the Akumaj? Dracula branding for the Japanese release of castlevania: dawn of Sorrow.

The series is also known for the differences between the Japanese and English language versions. Particularly in earlier installments, the localization process usually removes a heavy share of violence, nudity and religious imagery and references. Remova...more